Scott and Melissa start the New Year by recapping their New Year’s Eve festivities on The Strip. After we reveal the best place ever to park on New Year’s Eve, we pull the curtain back and see how the high rollers live when they come to Vegas. We start by sipping (and spilling) some wine that we found not so fine, nibble at the only 3-Star Michelin restaurant in town, and count our winnings in a unique sky-high suite! (ALERT: You’ll see the largest “winning stack” you’ll likely have ever seen…don’t miss it!) Show notes:

We are reveling in the holiday spirit here at VVN, and as a gift to our viewers and listeners, we reveal our line up for the inaugural VVN Holiday Special. Then, after a decadent dinner, Scott and Melissa take us on a holiday journey filled with lights, sound, and advertisements? Show notes:

We are getting into the holiday spirit here at VVN, so we are giving away free stuff!

Scott and Melissa tell you how to get a free beer, hold a contest for some more free items, and reveal our inaugural Talktails holiday show. Then, after a discussion about “Reality TV” and the harm they do, we pretend to wear a too-tight Cowelian t-shirt as we pass judgement on American Idol Winner Taylor Hicks’ show at Bally’s. Show notes:

Scott and Melissa return from Effingham to their first-ever tassel wearing audience. Together they share stories of camouflage and liquor in airports, overpriced steak with great service, and an 11 story monster called SlotZilla set to invade the Fremont Street Experience. (Scott would look good in tassels and camo shorts!) Show notes:

As we recount many of our holiday traditions, this episode of the Living in Las Vegas Podcast reminds the viewer that when it comes to watching a DVD on Christmas day with your family, a film that features full-frontal male nudity may not be the right way to go. Show notes:

Anybody can put lights on a Christmas tree. That’s easy. Try putting 500,000 lights on Nevada’s (and one of the world’s) largest collection of cactus (cacti, cactuses). And while you’re doing that, help Scott figure out if Melissa has made a deal with the devil. In today’s Living in Las Vegas Podcast, we tackle lighted cactus, devil deals, Irish pubs are more. Show notes:

Last weekend Melissa and I had a GREAT time joining a bunch of friends we’ve made via the LiLV Podcast for dinner and drinks at Buca Di Beppo, on Lake Mead Blvd. Besides enjoying the company of Jacob, Sally, Alicia, David, Cheryl, Brad, Sally, Kerry and Perry, we were joined by the Pope himself.

Hard to beat that!

Afterwards, Melissa, David, Alicia and I headed down to Frankie’s Tiki Room.

I’ve included a link to some photos I’ve uploaded on Picasa. (Some of those Frankie’s photos did not make it online. Yikes!)

With some 8 million holiday lights that line a two-mile tour that features 400 displays, you’ll see dinosaurs, a 100-foot-long dragon, an animated reindeer band and Santa on his cell phone. Get $2 off with any bag of gently used items donated to Goodwill of Southern Nevada on-site or at any Goodwill location in Las Vegas or Henderson.

The Magical Forest at Opportunity Village features light displays, carousel rides, train rides, lots of entertainment and other festive activities. Bring in gently used items for the thrift store and get $2 off admission on Thursday nights.

If you haven’t been to Lake Las Vegas, you should make it a point to visit. The floating ice rink at the The Village (which has some great restaurants and shopping) is very cool. . .and they offer ice skating lessons as well!